Job Overview
Position Description
Location: Yumbe, Uganda
Position Status: Full-time
Salary Level: Level 5
About Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps is a leading global organization and has been operating in Uganda since 2006 with a growing portfolio and proven track-record of providing market-oriented solutions (currently valued at over $60 million) focused on humanitarian response; food security; agriculture and livestock market systems development; peace building, youth economic productivity; and resilience. Mercy Corps runs programs across Northern Uganda and in Kampala and applies market-driven solutions to communities across the Country, equipping individuals and households with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to improve their access to markets, livelihoods, health, nutrition, and security, to improve their overall resilience.
Our programs focus on:
• Strengthening market systems to enable inclusive economic growth and resilience
• Strengthening governance structures, to prioritize and advocate for community needs, making informed decisions, and allocating resources in a participatory, transparent, and accountable manner.
• Building institutional capacity to enable communities to attain better health, nutrition, and sexual reproductive health outcomes.
• Meeting the immediate needs of refugees and host communities, while strengthening market systems and resilience capacities.
• Since 2016, Mercy Corps has been responding to the refugee crisis in Uganda. Our interventions cover both the settlements in Northern Uganda and Urban centres where refugees have congregated. In 2020, our programs reached over 1 million Ugandans and Refugees.
Program Summary
The Delivering Resilient Enterprises and Market Systems (DREAMS) program is a collaboration between three leading organizations in the field of global poverty alleviation: Village Enterprise, Mercy Corps, and IDinsight. The DREAMS program aims to improve the well-being of 150,000 women, children, and men over the course of five years. Targeting refugees and host community members in the West Nile region of Uganda, our innovative approach is layering two evidence-based models[1] – poverty graduation and market systems development – to achieve increased household income, savings, and assets; improved food security and wellbeing.
General Position Summary
The Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Officer will work with the Mercy Corps DREAMS program team to oversee and ensure the collection of quality M&E data throughout the duration of the program. The MEL Officer will be responsible for supporting the Senior MEL Officer to oversee the monitoring and data collection of the project, lead regular and annual field-based household and group interviews, analyze data to provide insight to the activities and program outcomes, and contribute to report writing. S/He will ensure that performance monitoring and results reporting tools and processes across the entire program are in place, effectively implemented and well synchronized between the Activity sites. The MEL Officer will work alongside the MEL Assistant and will supervise enumerators. The MEL officer will be an integral member of the project team learning and reflection processes, leading discussion on beneficiary feedback.
Essential Job Responsibilities
• Support the Senior MEL Officer in coordinating the baseline, mid-term evaluation and final evaluation, along with other key research activities including market assessments and gender assessments.
• Ensure adherence to MEL minimum standard in carrying out his/her duties, advising and supporting team members in understanding all the standards.
• Conduct data quality assurance (DQA) for the Indicators under the DREAMS and develop reports.
• Ensure that the DREAMS TOLA account is updated with all the indicators, result and the means of verification collected and uploaded in the DREAMS google account.
• Ensure that the Activity Info website is updated as per the achievement during the quarter of the project implementation.
• Support with the development of the MEL tools and prepare tool matrix to ensure that they are easily understandable by the project team.
• Work closely with the project team and local partners, to ensure effective monitoring, evaluation and reporting of program activities and results.
• Compile progress against indicators and report back to the team according to the monitoring plan.
• Develop Community accountability and reporting mechanisms for the project and orient project staff as well as local partners on the same to ensure compliance with the CARM’s SOP.
• Perform spot checks on the data collected and reports each month.
• Actively participate in household identification and verification of households that participate in the DREAM’s project.
• Build the capacity of all relevant team members to implement program monitoring tools, accurately enter data into relevant databases, and enable them to develop excellent reports and other documents.
• Document lessons learned and success stories and ensures that these lessons learnt are disseminated.
• Ensure adherence to program management minimum standards in carrying out his/her duties, advising and supporting other staff in the same as required.
Capacity Building
• Build the capacity of all relevant team members to develop and maintain a robust M&E system.
• Build the capacity of local partners in M&E and reporting.
• Adapt existing protocols and plans to mentor and coach colleagues to enable them to develop high quality reports.
Accountability
• Ensure that Mercy Corps’ Community Feedback and Accountability Mechanism is clearly communicated to project beneficiaries, and that the hotline numbers are visible to the beneficiaries throughout the program.
• Ensure all activities are gender sensitive and follow Mercy Corps’ Gender Equity Policy.
• Apply Do No Harm standards to ensure activities do not have detrimental effects on vulnerable communities.
• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.
• Other assigned tasks, as necessary
Other:
• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.
• Perform any other duties assigned.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: None
Reports Directly To: Senior MEL Officer
Works Directly With: Program Manager, Team Leader, Senior Gender Officer, Program Officers/Assistants, Field Operations Team.
Knowledge and Experience
• BA/S or equivalent in social sciences, business administration, public administration, Management, Statistics, Economics, or international development or other relevant disciplines.
• 3- years M&E and/or other relevant experience.
• Fluent in both spoken and written English.
• Previous experience working with international and/or local NGOs.
• Good computer skills and experience developing data management systems including ONA/KoBo/ODK.
• Relevant experience in field survey/data collection techniques, data entry, data verification, and analysis.
• Good understanding of and skills of data management.
• Strong team coordination, listening, and consensus building skills.
Success Factors
The successful MEL Officer will combine exceptional management skills and experience in building and maintaining partner relationships. S/he will have an ability to think creatively about operationalizing and improving the M&E system of the program. S/he will have proven experience with cross-cultural team and capacity building, individual staff development and strong mentoring skills. Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous attention to detail as well as strategic vision are essential. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations. A good sense of humor and the ability to learn from mistakes also goes a long way!
Must Poses a valid Motorcycle driving permit.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
The position is based in the West Nile region of Uganda. Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values always and at all times.
Ongoing Learning
As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities they serve – we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening, and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination based on race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.
Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we encounter through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.
To Apply:
Interested applicants must submit their Cover Letter & CV saved in 1 document as PDF of no more than 5 pages by 27th November 2023.
Please note that any application submitted that does not follow the above instructions will be automatically discarded.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Locals with the required qualifications are encouraged to apply.
Mercy Corps does not charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment process.
Job application procedure
Interested and Qualified,Click here to Apply
More Information
- Address Within, Uganda, Yumbe, East Africa
- Salary Offer Not Specified USD Not Specified Month